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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27205183">Sasuke Finds A Soulmate</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBooBox/pseuds/TheBooBox'>TheBooBox</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Acceptance, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Denial of Feelings, F/M, Feels, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, brief SasuSaku</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 18:14:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,756</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27205183</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBooBox/pseuds/TheBooBox</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sasuke was today-years-old when he realized he had never been in love.</p><p> </p><p>Or, Sasuke finds his soulmate in three steps or less.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>197</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Antacids</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sasuke was today-years-old when he realized he had never been in love.</p><p>It wasn’t <em>exactly</em> cathartic. Nor was it an earth-shattering revelation. No epiphany, no dramatic “ah-ha!” moment when he finally puts a name to that invisible hole in his being. </p><p>The whole scene itself was entirely underwhelming. There he was, in the checkout lane of the fancy grocery store in-between work and home, picking up some pre-cooked chicken, steam-in-bag rice, and ready-made salad for dinner, because Sakura couldn’t cook to save her life and he always worked over-time and went in early. Nothing special, just the usual Friday night in the Uchiha’s bland life. The beeping of the scanners, mindless chit-chat of the employees and customers around him, some current but censored hip-hop song playing on the store speakers, and the crying of an infant the next stand over filled his ears while he waited to be rung up.</p><p>And then it happened. </p><p>He’d seen them a million times before, just like everyone did. It was there in the little space where they had you wait. You know, the one crammed with all sorts of last-minute items. Candy, gum, weight-loss pills and energy shots, cold beverages, chips, jerky and chapstick, and of course, the magazines. Sure, there were some puzzles, an <em>Archie</em> comic or two, recipes and weight loss pamphlets, aliens and celebrities’ tabloids, all screaming out ‘BUY ME! IT’S NOT TOO LATE!!’.</p><p>There, on the cover of some famous magazine he’d always seen but never read, was a couple. Nothing extraordinary, just two people in love on their wedding day, smiling like they were advertising for anti-depressants or bladder-control pills. A sharp pang hit his chest, and his first thought was ‘indigestion’, followed by the aforementioned personal discovery.</p><p>If anything, it was more of a dull ‘huh’, followed by a mental shrug and a physical carrying with his duties. Glancing away from the magazine and his nudging-reality, sharp onyx eyes caught the strategically placed antacid tablets placed next to the mango-habanero beef jerky. His hand automatically followed his gaze to collect the item and added it to his little pile. He did not think of it for the rest of his time there.</p><p>But a short while later on the drive home, a song came on the radio. <em>Danse Macarbe</em>. Sasuke’s brain decided to associate this with Dracula for some reason, and then onto the film version starring Gary Oldman. He liked it because it was visually pleasing, a little dramatic, odd, artistic and still horror themed. Then he thought of the moment where Dracula refused to turn Mina because of his love for her. It was a moment he always scoffed at before when he and his elder brother Itachi would watch it during Halloween-week. How could Dracula go through all that and change his mind? Didn’t he have enough time to think that through? And anyway, if he was so in love with her, why bang Lucy? Or the others? Was it hypocrisy or true love? </p><p>A second, sharper pain shot through his chest, and he reached into the bag sitting in the passenger seat to find that little bottle. Popping a cherry-tablet in his mouth and chewing the chalky thing, Sasuke decided he would skip that movie this year. He changed the radio station to some talk-radio and concentrated on the topic of G.M.O.’s being discussed between the farmer, doctor and moderator.</p><p>That night, curled up in bed next to a heavily snoring Sakura, Sasuke bolted upright from a dream. No, not a dream. A nightmare. The luminous clock at his bedside told him it was nearly 4 a.m. His girlfriend did not wake when he rose from the bed as expected. Long hours at the hospital combined with the melatonin gummies she took before bed would keep her knocked out until her phone alarm started blaring in a couple hours. His shirt and boxer-briefs were drenched in sweat, clinging to him uncomfortably and causing him to grimace. Hastily making his way to the adjacent bathroom the black-haired man nearly tripped over Sakura’s discarded pink-fluffy heels, the matching babydoll somewhere nearby as part of her latest attempt at spicing things up. He cursed under his breath and found his sanctuary in the white-tiled room. Turning on the light and closing the door behind him, Sasuke quickly made it to the sink where cold water on his face was heaven-sent and the low hum of the bathroom light centered him. </p><p>His breathing evened out as he counted the water drops that fell from his face and bangs into the white marble sink. Sighing, he raised his head to look into the mirror and froze.</p><p>His nightmare came rushing back to him. It was the cover of that magazine, come to life. The couple there, holding hands and mid-leap in the middle of some allergy-inducing field, smiling ear-to-ear. Both men were wearing white suits, crisp and clean and virginial. One with dirty-blonde hair and the other with dark brown, and the words <em>‘Found Soulmates at First Sight’</em> across the bottom.</p><p>He gasped for air, as the sudden loss of it rattled him. With one hand he held onto the sink with a death-grip while the other frantically moved to open the medicine cabinet. The flavorless antacids there tumbled out of the bottle but he managed to shove two into his mouth and consume them without incident, washing down the taste with a palm full of tap water. </p><p>Somehow, he made it into the glass-walled shower. Hot water and steam were doing their best to wash away the sudden rush of loneliness that was devouring him. Sasuke’s pale skin was turning pink under the pressurized stream, his shirt and boxers still on even as he sank to the floor of the shower. He did not realize he was sobbing, nor anything but the hard ache inside, and the semi-comforting envelopment of the water on his back.</p><p>Sasuke Uchiha was today-years-old when he realized he had never been in love, and it was devastating.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Diagnosis</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sasuke was today-years-old when he finally met his soulmate.</p><p>He didn’t know it at first. It wasn’t one of those, breath-stealing, heart-skipping-a-beat, slow-motion moments. No romantic music played. No narrator who sounded like Morgan Freeman from above told him what was happening. </p><p>The moment was unremarkable in such regard as romanticism. It was 7 months and twenty-three days after he identified and labeled the gaping hole in his chest. Once he had come to terms with it and gathered his wits, Sasuke made the crucial decision to let Sakura go. She had been devastated, had fought and cried and tried to make him change his mind through various forms of emotional manipulation, but he had been firm. This was best for the both of them. She would go on to find someone who could return what she gave in equal measure, and he would be free to be alone.</p><p>Because he had given up on the hope that he would ever find his soulmate.</p><p>Sakura had been so perfect. Too perfect. Her life had fit so easily into his, no effort on his part ever had to be made really. She was textbook for everything a girlfriend should be, from appearance to attitude to family inter-actions. The problem was, he was not in love with her. She could be removed from his life or in it and it would not affect him. He was not moved by her in any way. And Sasuke’s soulmate, as he had realized, would be necessary. If he were Dracula and they were Mina, damnation be damned. He would do anything to spend eternity with them.</p><p>As such, he did not feel that way about Sakura. He felt love for her, yes. But it was not the kind of love that could even pass for settling. And the knowledge of that was enough to spoil what little they had between them.</p><p>But deep inside, he doubted whether that person was really out there waiting for him. He was closer to his thirties with every minute, and never once had he even considered searching for a romantic companion. Sakura had chased him, had worn him down with her persistence and eventual timing. Before that, the desire for a partner never struck him. He had no idea where to begin, or how anyone could love him for who he was, not just how he looked.</p><p>His personality was closer to that of a cactus rather than a stuffed bear. He was curt, particular in his likes and dislikes, and did not care for social niceties or false friendliness. He had in total, three friends who were not of blood relation to him, whom were all technically co-workers. He did not engage in activities outside of work, and rarely spent time with other people to begin with. He was even distant with his family. Sasuke concluded that the idea of meeting someone, let alone falling in love, was completely farfetched and a waste of time. He decided to give up before he could start.</p><p>So Sasuke was content to life his lonely life. His work was fulfilling enough to keep him both busy and satisfied. He adopted a cat. It was a black fluffy fur ball with blue-grey eyes and a small weight problem. Another creature of independence and sporadic bouts of need for affection that would not impede on him constantly. A fine companion.</p><p>Everything was fine.</p><p>And then it wasn’t.</p><p>Tsuki was an adventurous cat, prone to long bouts of exploration into the unknown regions of the neighborhood, before returning unharmed in time for dinner. But one Saturday evening Sasuke came home from work to find Tsuki yowling on the kitchen floor and in apparent pain. With some effort and a few scratches, Sasuke managed to get the unhappy creature into his carrying crate and headed to the 24-hour emergency animal hospital.</p><p>The drive was annoying. He managed to find every red light, and Tsuki's cries did nothing to ease his nerves. A couple walked across the crosswalk in front of him sharing an umbrella, causing Sasuke to look away to his glovebox instead, finding those lovely antacids he'd been relying upon for months now. The sudden bursts of chest pains came and went, but his powdery disks remained.</p><p>Finally, Sasuke burst through the doors with the crate in his arms, eyes wide as they darted around the room. A few other people were there with their own crates or leashed pets, but it was the reception desk he needed. </p><p>“I have an emergency! Something is wrong with my cat, he needs a doctor right now!” Sasuke glared at the pale eyed, dark-haired receptionist who held a phone in one hand and was mid-type with the other.</p><p>“I-I’m sorry sir, but-”</p><p>“SORRY!?” He slammed his hand on the counter and put the crate down in front of her face. She gasped and moved a bit back as Sasuke practically snarled at her as he read her nametag. “Don’t be sorry <em>Hi-na-ta!</em> Just get me A DOCTOR!!” </p><p>“I-I-” She stuttered and turned red, her eyes welling up with tears as she struggled to compose herself. </p><p>“What’s going on here?” A new voice came from doorway next to the reception desk. </p><p>Both dark-haired humans turned to the bright blonde-haired man in orange scrubs standing with his arms folded over his chest where a badge marked him as a ‘Doctor Uzumaki’. Piercing blue eyes moved from the receptionist to Sasuke to his crate where Tsuki’s yowls increased in volume as if sensing that help had finally arrived. </p><p>“What’s going on is my cat is hurt and needs medical attention <em>now</em>.” Sasuke ground out before turning to the woman and casting an accusing look. “Your receptionist seems to disagree.”</p><p>Said woman shook her head and held her cheeks with her hands. “N-no, that’s not what-”</p><p>“It’s ok Hinata,” the blonde man placed a tan hand on her shoulder and offered her a comforting smile. His voice was soft and kind, unlike the stern tone he used when he first came into the room. “I got this.” He moved over to Sasuke and his crate and peered inside. “How long has she been crying out like this? And what’s her name?” Once again his voice was firm, but there remained an underlying tone of cynical kindness Sasuke associated with customer service representatives dealing with difficult customers.</p><p>To think of himself as a difficult customer would have, at any other time, pissed him off. Sasuke prided himself in having as little interaction and impact on other people as possible, just so that he could move on with his life unencumbered. But this wasn’t any other time, and there was no time for him to be invisible or offended. “<em>His name is Tsuki</em>”, Sasuke began snidely, “and <em>he</em> has been making those noises for at least twenty-five minutes. I got home from work and he was like this, we came directly here.”</p><p>The blonde doctor snickered at him, and Sasuke felt his hackles rise. “Well, I’ve got good news and bad news for ya buddy.” Bright blue eyes crinkled with mischief that Sasuke had no time for. “The bad news is, Tsuki-chan is definitely a female. The good news is, you’re about to be a grandpa!”</p><p>Sasuke’s eyes widened as his eyebrows rose to the heavens before lowering back into a hard glare. “What the <em>hell</em> are you talking about <em>dobe</em>?”</p><p>A low growl emitted from the young doctor as he matched Sasuke’s stare yard-for-yard. “I’m saying <em>Teme</em>, that your cranky old-man attitude is about to match your status. Tsuki-<em>chan</em> is in labor.”</p><p>The black-haired man was at a loss for words. “That…that’s impossible. He…<em>he’s fixed!</em>” </p><p>The doctor shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell ya man, but whoever told you that obviously lied to you about more than one thing, so take it up with them.” He reached over the counter and grabbed a clip board and a sparkly purple pen from the holder and handed them to Sasuke. “Fill these out and give them to Nurse Hinata when you’re done. I’ll take care of Tsuki-chan and come get you when we’re all done.” </p><p>Sasuke took the items numbly and watched absently as the doctor Uzumaki person carefully lifted the crate, cooing comfortingly at Sasuke’s <em>lady cat</em>. “Say good-bye to daddy Tsuki-chan!” </p><p>Once again, Sasuke’s scowl was back in full force. The blonde snickered again as he waved and disappeared behind the door, leaving the Uchiha standing there alone in a scene of his own making. Shooting a hard glance around the room to discourage any more staring from the other patrons, he took a seat and began filling out the ridiculous forms, all the while longing for the antacids he left in the car.</p><p>About an hour later, Doctor Uzumaki called him in. There, in room number 7 was his Tsuki with three little kittens. Sasuke blinked a few times, trying to determine if the small black balls of pure fluff were actually alive or just little plushies of the soot balls from <em>Spirited Away</em>. </p><p>“She had a rough time of it.” The doctor’s gravelly voice broke through Sasuke’s reverie. “We’re going to need to keep her here for a couple days. Then in about a month or two I’d recommend bringing her back to get spayed, if that’s still what you want.” </p><p>Sasuke looked up at the cheekily grinning doctor, who Sasuke just now realized had three whisker marks on each cheek. A fetishist? He wondered, but shook the thoughts from his head. Not his business. </p><p>“Don’t worry, I guarantee it’ll work this time. No shabby-work is done here, believe it!” The doctor laughed hard at himself and placed his hand on Sasuke’s shoulder in a friendly manner, sending a shock of electricity through him and straight to his heart.</p><p>Or, not just him.</p><p>Doctor Uzumaki jumped back with a yelp and started wonderingly at his hand. “Woah! That was a crazy static-shock man!”  Blue eyes found onyx and Sasuke was struck a second time. The Uchiha blinked, and really saw the man before him.</p><p>Tall, blonde, sun-kissed skin and whisker scars on his cheeks. Ocean blue eyes to put the sea of dreams to shame, muscles straining under garish orange scrubs. A thousand-kilowatt smile.</p><p>Sasuke’s face heated up. Scratch that. His entire body was on fire. His heart was beating so loud he couldn’t hear a damn word coming from those chapped pink lips of the sun-god doctor. An elevator music version of Danse Macarbe played in the background of his mind, and as the blackness closed in on his vision Morgan Freeman announced he was a goner.</p><p>Sasuke Uchiha was today-years-old when he found his soulmate.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Breath of Life</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sasuke Uchiha was today-years-old when his life finally began.</p><p>It had taken a while to get here, of course. The common misconception was that life began at birth. For some people, it took a near death experience to really kick start their lives. For a few, it was the moment they achieved freedom of sorts, either physical or mental. Others, it was the moment they found their calling.</p><p>For Sasuke, it was a kiss.</p><p>He had always known death. It was an old friend really, ever since that night when the robbers took more than the family jewelry. His brother Itachi had saved him, but at the cost of their parents’ lives.</p><p>The day he forgave his brother for making that choice was the day he became free from the mental chains that held him down in the darkness.</p><p>But beside that, he had always known what he wanted to be. Even when that changed, from following in his father’s footsteps in the Police Force to the career change into Historian and Archivist, something he loved, he always owned it. What he did for a living did not define him as a person.</p><p>As for his sexuality, to him that was as simple as recognizing that the color of his hair was actually Midnight blue-black, and not just black. Acknowledging that he was in fact, homosexual and not heterosexual, was a simple amendment to his personal description. Nothing more. </p><p>Very little about his life, whether it was original, a development, or adaptation, affected him in any great way. Sasuke was, if anything, perfectly adaptable.</p><p>Life for him was simple that way. And so, one could argue that he wasn’t really <em>living</em>.</p><p>He would never say that, of course. But Uzumaki Naruto would.</p><p>“How can you stand to be so…so…”</p><p>Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the man across the table from him. “So <em>what</em>?” He challenged. </p><p>Naruto squinted at his third cup of hot chocolate, looking for answers. Sasuke was tempted to pick the damn thing up and throw it in his face.<br/>
This coffee date was going terrible. And if it hadn’t taken him <em>months</em> of embarrassing run-ins and pointless vet follow ups and maybe some slight stalking on the Uchiha’s part to get this date, then Sasuke would definitely run away. </p><p>No, not run away. Storm off in a huff.</p><p>Because Uzumaki Naruto, the handsome Veterinarian whom Sasuke could not get out of his head, the one who caught him when he fainted the night they met and had haunted his dreams with his blue eyes and alluring voice, also irked him to no fucking end.</p><p>In short, the Uzumaki accomplished something that no other person ever had. He <em>affected</em> him.</p><p>“So <em>stagnant</em>!” Naruto practically shouted with joy at finally finding the word to complete his thoughts. His eyes were bright with glee, grin wide and accomplished.</p><p>Sasuke growled. “You think my life has been <em>stagnant</em>? Seriously?”</p><p>Naruto leaned back in his chair and laced his hands behind his neck. “Yeah, I mean, kinda? Like, you haven’t really <em>done anything</em> ya know?”</p><p>Sasuke huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “You call running away at thirteen and dropping out of school, joining the police force for three years and then quitting, getting my G.E.D. and putting myself through college to get a fucking doctorate <em>nothing</em>?”</p><p>The blonde hummed infuriatingly. “Uh, yes?”</p><p>“Really?” Sasuke leaned forward, dark eyes peering into blue depths. “And I suppose, traveling around the world with some pervert novelist, joining the Marines and attending online schools makes you some sort of expert on an <em>active</em> lifestyle?”</p><p>“Well duh!” There it was again. That insult accompanied with triumphant glee. “Look, we both had rough starts, and we’ve both accepted that as part of ourselves, right?” Naruto leaned forward too, hands sprawled out on the table between them.</p><p>The Uchiha nodded, throat becoming dry all of the sudden. Naruto’s gaze was becoming intense.</p><p>“So we chose different paths. You went underground, I went above. You ran away from what family you had left, I ran to them. We both tried in our own ways, to help others, before learning we needed to help <em>ourselves first.</em> And then, we ended up in the same place. Like literally.” He gestured around them for emphasis. “We both started off in this town, happy with our families. And now we’re back here, mostly alone, but with ‘PhD’ attached to our names. The difference is, I spent my time away from here <em>living</em>, while you simply <em>survived</em>.”</p><p>This time when he finished, there was no hint of glee behind those eyes. Just determination that sent chills down his spine. Sasuke repressed a shiver and glared. He refused to be…whatever the equivalent to losing this battle would be. He couldn’t think past those eyes and the truth behind them. </p><p>Silence. </p><p>It was the only thing that filled the next few seconds while Sasuke processed what was said while filtering his vision. The black coffee in front of him was probably cold by now, and not even his pride would allow him to distract himself by enduring the taste of it. </p><p>Had he merely survived all these years? Had that act been bland? Sure, he had made some poor choices, but they had always been his. He never strayed from his paths or plans. Everything was calculated, weighed, and executed. Even his relationship with Sakura had been clinically decisive.</p><p>On the other hand, Naruto was impulsive. His life had been full of side-quests and foot-notes and failures and changes. He’d changed his major alone several times before landing on solid ground. </p><p>Uchiha Sasuke could be impulsive. He could do something completely unexpected. He could take risks.</p><p>He would prove he wasn’t boring.  </p><p>Without further thought or second-guessing himself, Sasuke acted. He stood abruptly, knocking his heavy steel chair back with a loud scrape. Naruto barely had time to blink in question before Sasuke took his jaw in hand and pressed his lips to his. </p><p>Naruto’s lips were soft despite the small cracks from the winter weather. Sasuke’s first voluntary kiss, the first one <em>he’d</em> initiated, was finally happening. And before he could really think anymore about that Naruto responded.</p><p>Sasuke felt the other man’s fingers in his hair pulling him closer followed by his own body obeying some invisible order to make as much contact as possible. He wasn’t sure what occurred first, their tongues colliding or Sasuke’s ass falling into the Uzumaki’s lap, but it didn’t really matter.</p><p>All that mattered was that <em>this</em> was a kiss. <em>The</em> kiss.</p><p>It was the leap from surviving to living.</p><p>They continued for an unknown amount of time, holding onto what they could while devouring one another. Sasuke’s whole body was on fire, lit by the Sun-god himself. He’d never once displayed an ounce of PDA in his life, but right now he did not give a single fuck.</p><p>Perhaps that was a part of living.</p><p>“Sasuke-kun?” </p><p>That voice. He knew it from somewhere, didn’t he?</p><p>Naruto pulled away first, much to Sasuke’s disappointment and slight mortification. Perhaps he’d made a mistake? Naruto was looking behind him at something.</p><p>“Ano…Sasuke-kun? Is that you?”</p><p>Not something. Someone. </p><p>The dark haired man turned to see, his mind still hazy from the kiss and possible rejection as he tried to focus.</p><p>Nope. Not someone. Sakura.</p><p>
  <em>Shit.</em>
</p><p>He made to rise in an attempt to regain his dignity, but Naruto’s unnoticed grip on his waist tightened and held him in place. He turned back, raising a brow in question and receiving a sheepish grin in response, followed by a kiss on his jawline and a more relaxed hold. </p><p>Sasuke was filled with something warmer than fire then. It stretched out inside him and filled his bones. Smiling softy, he moved his hands from the armrests where he had anchored himself in his aborted attempt to move, up to the shoulders of the man beneath him and gave his own peck on the cheek back before turning around to greet his ex.</p><p>“Hn. Sakura. How are you?”</p><p>Her face was flushed, white-knuckled hands gripping the designer shopping bags at her sides. “I-I’m well, and yourself?” </p><p>He tensed slightly at her slightly higher than normal pitch, but it could be worse. After all, he’d once seen her tear a waitress a new one for winking at him on one of their early dates, though she didn’t know he was there. The surprise scene on his return from using the restroom had made him reconsider breaking things off, as seeing a side of her that wasn’t a demure, subservient mouse actually intrigued him.</p><p>He hadn’t looked for much in a partner, but he knew a servant wasn’t it.</p><p>“I am well, thank you.”</p><p>Her pink brows were pressed together as her vivid green eyes moved from him to Naruto in clear confusion. “Ah. That’s good to hear.” She smiled then, the familiar plastic one she plastered on when engaging with his only female friend Karin, or even Suigetsu at times despite him being male. “And who is…your <em>friend</em>?”</p><p>Before Sasuke could reply Naruto shot out a hand in greeting while moving the other into a more possessive hold that Sasuke found he didn’t actually mind. “Hi! I’m Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meet ya!”</p><p>The Uchiha could practically feel that blinding smile blazing behind his turned head. Sakura’s own smile remained as tight as her grip when he returned the greeting. “Sakura, Dr. Haruno Sakura. And the pleasure is all mine.”</p><p>“Oh! You’re a doctor too? Cool! What’s your area of practice?” Naruto took his hand back without flinching and replaced it around Sasuke’s waist. </p><p>Sakura shifted her gaze quickly from the motion back to the blond. “I’m an OBG-YN at Hokage Memorial Hospital,” she said proudly and gave him a once over, no doubt noting the faded orange hoodie and black jeans Naruto had donned for their ‘casual coffee-date’. “And what do you do for a living, <em>Mr. Uzumaki?</em>”</p><p>“Wow! That’s crazy, my baa-chan was an OBG-YN there too!” Naruto laughed and added as an after-thought. “And I’m a doctor too. Veterinarian actually. I’m over at Biiju Friends Animal Hospital in the Nara District.”</p><p>Sasuke smirked as Sakura’s face fell. When they had been together, she had loved to use her status as a doctor (and his) as a way to assert dominance over others. While Sakura was indeed a kind person and had every reason to be proud of her achievement, there were moments when she let her insecurity overcome her sense of reason, turning into a snob of sorts. It hadn’t really bothered him before, as it never affected him. However, the rush of anger and protectiveness he had felt when he noticed her <em>judging</em> Naruto had surprised him. He’d been with her long enough to know she would have made several judgments based on his appearance, and if given the chance to know his background, would pounce on that as well.</p><p>This reaction however, appeased the roused beast within him.</p><p>“You’re a doctor?”</p><p>“Uh, yeah, that’s what I said, right?” Naruto laughed awkwardly. </p><p>“Yes, I’m just surprised that’s all. You don’t seem like…I mean, most doctors I know don’t usually dress so…<em>casual.</em>” </p><p>He expected Naruto to stiffen as he did, but was met with an airy laugh instead, “Oh yeah, that’s kinda funny story! You see, I was really nervous for my first date with the Teme here, and I’d changed like <em>a million times</em> before my baa-chan hit me over the head with her slipper and told me just to close my eyes and pick something. So instead of Armani or Louie Vee I ended up with my dad’s old sweater and my construction jeans! I tired to change back too but she shoved me into the bathroom and refused to let me out until I was dressed even though I <em>literally begged</em> her! But she was all like, ‘If he likes you it won’t matter what you wear as long as you’re yourself!’, and you know what? She was right!” </p><p>Sasuke turned back to Naruto to see that triumphant gleeful look on the blonde’s face. The heat within him melted away all the anger and fear within him, and in that moment Sasuke knew he wanted nothing more in his life than to stay exactly where he was, no matter where that happened to be. As long as he was with Naruto, that’s all that mattered.</p><p>Leaning forward Sasuke captured his human chair’s lips and initiated another kiss. Naruto responded immediately, hugging Sasuke like they’d been together all their lives. It all felt so <em>incredibly right</em>.</p><p>“Ahem.” Sakura fake coughed, causing the two to detach with a lingering gaze. What was happening again? Oh yes, that’s right. </p><p>“So, you live with your grandmother then?” Sakura once again tried to steer the conversation in her favor, and Sasuke was suddenly very over this reunion turned interrogation.</p><p>“Oh no, she’s just staying with me while her house is being renovated. She retired recently and bought a new place, but it needed some work so-”</p><p>“Wait!” Sakura interrupted and stepped forward into their space. “Your grandmother isn’t <em>Tsunade Senju</em>, is she?” </p><p>“Uh, yeah? You know her?” Naruto tilted his head to the side and then promptly lit up like Christmas morning. “Oh wait, duh! You said you’re at Hokage Memorial, right? You must be the girl who took over for her! She talks about you all the time ya’know! What a small world, amiright?”</p><p>In that moment, Sakura’s look of horror was forever cemented in Sasuke’s mind. Naruto was busy saying how he couldn’t wait to tell his baa-chan about this and how crazy this all was when Sasuke saw the writing on the wall. Sakura had about thirty-seconds before Naruto got something worse than that poor waitress.</p><p>Within seconds, Sasuke was up and pulling the chattering oblivious blonde with him. “Hn. Well, it was good to see you again Sakura, but Naruto and I need to go now. We’re late for the next part of our date.”</p><p>“We are?” Naruto laced his fingers in his and once again Sasuke was hit with the <em>rightness</em> of it.</p><p>“Date?” Sakura echoed, seeming to come back to herself, only to be confused again. Emerald eyes moved to their joined hands and back up again to his eyes. “I don’t understand Sasuke-kun. I thought that…”</p><p>“Yes.” Sasuke answered both with a single word. “We are dating. This is a date. Naruto is my boyfriend, and I am his.”</p><p>“I am?” Naruto blinked owlishly at him, and Sasuke felt once again the warmth spreading within him, softening his heart just a little more.</p><p>“He is?” The pinkette parroted, the tone of despair and disbelief lacing her words.</p><p>“Yes.” Sasuke looked down at their hands and ran his thumb over the back of Naruto’s tan hand, noting the contrast in their skin tones complimenting one another. He was once again reminded of that couple on the magazine, the one that made him realize the missing component in the makeup of his heart. </p><p>He saw something more though. Instead of a dirty blonde it was a Sunshine blonde. Instead of a brunette it was Midnight locks. “Though, that doesn’t seem like it’s enough,” he whispered lowly.</p><p>“It doesn’t, does it?” Naruto answered him with a serious tone. Sasuke looked up to see those blue orbs sucking him in. There no longer existed a world around them. In this moment, there was only them. “I thought it was just me ya’know? That I was like, going crazy or something. But this is <em>more</em>, isn’t it?”</p><p>“Hn.” Sasuke’s smile was soft. The warmth now was complete. He was complete. He had found love. He had found his soulmate.</p><p>They leaned into one another at the same time, their lips meeting in a slow embrace that swelled with unspoken promises and emotions. It was a kiss that revealed their souls to one another and merged them. There was no sidewalk café, no people neither familiar or unknown around them, no city or country. Just them. And from this moment on, Sasuke knew that that was all he needed. </p><p>He knew he was alive.</p><p>
  <em>The Moon’s light is not its own. It reflects the light of the Sun, brightening up the world below. Without it, it’s just a lifeless satellite drifting in space. The Sun breathed life into the Moon.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Sasuke Uchiha was today-years-old when his life finally began.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Colors</h2></a>
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    <p>Naruto was today-years-old when he finally found his Happily Ever After.</p><p>It was something he had dreamed of his entire life. Ever since he was a boy, when his mother read him those stories that began with “Once Upon A Time…” and his father would hold him against his chest, allowing him small sips of hot chocolate as he drifted off to the sound of his mother’s voice. He always strained to stay awake, just so he could know, just so he could hear the words.</p><p>When the woman on TV announced that his father’s plane was shot down on the diplomatic mission, Naruto crumbled. He cried for his mother, screamed for his father. The small six-year-old refused to believe they were truly gone. They left him alone and took his happiness with them.</p><p>His grandmother took him in for a time, but he was wild and unruly. No longer the calm, happy child whose eyes sparkled with fantasy and hope. He growled and bit and broke rules and remained untamed until finally Jiraya came for him. His grandfather was a burly man, and while Tsunade was no pushover, she was also grieving the loss of her daughter so much that she could not bring herself out of the hole. As a famous writer and world-traveler, Jiraya had the patience and strength to deal with Naruto’s needs while Tsunade sobered up and put herself back together.</p><p>It took a lot longer than anyone expected, but eventually, they all got better. </p><p>By the time he was a teenager, Naruto had regained some of his light back. Roaming the world in search of adventure and knowledge satisfied a need in him he had long forgotten. He took every chance, every opportunity presented whether is boded well or not to explore and meet new people. He failed, succeeded, and broke-even, but never gave up.</p><p>His first love was a boy named Haku. He was soft-spoken and sweet and their relationship had been innocent. It ended with tears and an inter-loper, but Naruto kept his smile and friendship with him, happy at least someone had found their happy ending. </p><p>The second was Gaara. Gaara was almost the exact opposite of Haku, dark and a little less innocent. Their relationship was more tangible and long-lasting through long-distance and maximum effort, though it all ended the same. Gaara found someone who fit him better, and Naruto made more friends.</p><p>After that, the stream of lovers wavered from nameless to friend-list. It seemed that, in his search for the one person who’d complete his happy ending, his real role was to help his partners find theirs. And although he would get frustrated, and have moments where, after he left them in better hands he’d go home and shed his angry tears, he never gave up hope.</p><p>Sometime after he came back to Konoha, after he’d gone from Politics to Sociology to Pediatrics to the Marines to Veterinarian School, he came extremely close to finding that happiness. Hinata captured his heart wholly. Her softness reminded him of Haku while her unexpected prowess in the bedroom rivaled Gaara. They dated for a solid year, the longest relationship Naruto had ever had. And he was head-over-heels for the woman, really he was. And then Kiba showed up. The young doctor who Naruto may have had a one-night stand with at one point was a natural flirt. Naruto knew, the moment that his girlfriend/assistant met his new co-worker that it was over. He’d seen it happen enough times to know. So he took Hinata out one last time, pulled out all the stops and kissed her farewell. She trembled and shook, denying that anyone could ever take his place, but the Uzumaki was stubborn. Kiba had been respectful, and three month’s after that they started going out.</p><p>Six months after that, they were engaged. </p><p>The day Hinata came in with that diamond on her hand, Naruto felt his heart sink. He was happy for her, sure. He was happy for both of them. He congratulated them and even bought lunch for the office to celebrate.</p><p>But deep inside he was breaking. How long would he have to wait? How long until <em>his</em> person finally walked into his life? And not just as a pit stop on the way to happiness?</p><p>On his way to pick up the food for everyone Naruto made his own pit-stop. The cemetery was lit by the sunset and soft street lamps that covered the area in a warm glow. He followed the familiar path to his parents and kneeled in front of their shared resting place. </p><p>“Hey mom, dad. How ya doing?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out two orange swirl candies. “Sorry I don’t have any ramen today, I’m actually on my way to pick up lunch for the crew. You remember Hinata, right? I told you about her.” He placed the candy on the stone and smiled. “Well, she and Kiba got engaged last night. We’re doing a light work celebration, though I’m sure the food at the engagement party will be loads better.”</p><p>He hummed a little and looked up at the darkening sky. “I don’t know if you guys…what I’m…” he sighed and ran his hands over his face before letting them fall to the side. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not giving up hope yet I just…I think I could use a little help. So if you can, maybe like, shake a cupid for me or ya know, something…I’d really appreciate it.”</p><p>The blonde waited a few moments longer until his phone beeped, letting him know his order was ready for pick up. He stood and wiped the grass from his orange scrubs and kissed the stone farewell before heading back to the car, only to trip over another headstone. </p><p>Blinking in the dim light, he could not make out the small names inscribed there, only a large fan symbol. “Oh sorry! I didn’t mean to disturb you!” He laughed awkwardly, his childhood fear of ghosts rising to the surface. He reached into his pocket and grabbed the last two candies there. “Here, take these! Sorry again!” He clapped his hands and bowed quickly, rushing to his car and pretending not to notice the sudden warm wind that followed him there.</p><p>A few hours after that, Naruto Uzumaki was staring into the endless black depths of the most beautiful jerk he’d ever seen as he fainted in his arms.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>Sasuke was unlike any person he’d ever met, and Naruto had met so, so many people. Yet no one could compare to the pale angel that began to haunt him. He didn’t <em>need</em> to schedule all those follow ups and exams for Tsuki-chan or her three little kittens, but Naruto found himself floundering for any excuse to see him.</p><p>But it seemed like fate was on his side when they’d run into one another at random places. It was like how if you were looking for a red car, you’d begin to notice them everywhere. Sasuke would show up at the grocery store, at the park, even once at his favorite ramen place. Each time, the blonde would light up, elated and maybe a little nervous because gods, was the man gorgeous. Naruto would spot him and shout his name, they’d trade insults as easily as greetings, and then all too soon Sasuke was running off to his own life.</p><p>Of course, all it would take to see him <em>on purpose</em> would be to ask him out, but it was like all experience and common sense left his brain as soon as the raven was in his line of sight. He’d get so caught up in their banter and trying to show off that the moment would just fly right by him, leaving him just a little distraught and a little more hopeful.</p><p>Afterall, the universe <em>seemed</em> to be trying to help him out here, he just needed to do his damn part.</p><p>And finally it happened. Sasuke came in to get the kittens check up, and Naruto was giving him shit for not having named them yet. </p><p>“Hn. If you’re so invested in naming them, why don’t you come up with some names then?”</p><p>“Really? Ok! How about um…Noodle”, he pointed at one, “Bento”, another point, “and Miso!” He picked up the last one and nuzzled it, the small thing happily licking his cheek. “See! She likes it!”</p><p>Sasuke scowled and took his kitten back, placing them all in the large carrying crate with their mother. “Idiot. I’m not naming them after food.”</p><p>Naruto stuck his tongue out and pouted. “Well if you don’t like my suggestions why did you even bother asking!”</p><p>The dark-haired man eyed him as if deciding whether to squish him like a bug or let him fly away. He took the crate in one hand and reached into his jacket pocket with the other. “Think of some better options-<em>not</em> food related, and we can discuss them Sunday. Meet me at this café at noon, and don’t be late.”</p><p>Naruto took the business card and stared at it wide eyed for a moment before noticing that Sasuke was walking towards the door. His hand was on the handle and he was about to- “Wait!” Sasuke stopped and turned his head only in acknowledgment. “Is this…is this a date?”</p><p>Gods, he prayed his voice didn’t sound as pathetically hopeful to Sasuke as it did to himself.</p><p>“Hn.”</p><p>Naruto blinked rapidly, standing there like the dumbass the other man constantly proclaimed him to be for several long moments while the man he’d been daydreaming about for months walked away. By the time he’d regained some semblance of control, Sasuke was already saying farewell to Hinata and walking out the front door. The whining of a Doberman to his left grabbed his attention, throwing him back into reality.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>The day of their first date, Naruto had been in a constant state of panic. Tsunade baa-chan was just about to strangle him before she ended up tricking him into choosing an outfit and all but shoving him out the door of his own house.</p><p>The actual date wasn’t that bad. Akatsuki Café was really quite nice, with outdoor seating that allowed them plenty of air while avoiding the awkwardness being overheard by others. Sasuke’s background seemed to be familiar to his own, but the choices he made were quite different. Naruto had remained optimistic and open for most of his life, while Sasuke clung to realism and privacy. </p><p>Not holding back was who Naruto was, so when he called Sasuke out for being complacent, he certainly wasn’t expecting <em>that</em> to be the moment where they finally kissed.</p><p>Not that he was complaining.</p><p>It was as if, in that precise moment, everything Naruto had dreamed of his entire life finally came together. Like he’d been working on this gigantic, super hard puzzle for years and had somehow lost a piece that rendered the final picture out of focus. Moments before, shielded from the cold in his black peacoat and deep indigo dress shirt, Sasuke looked like some ethereal being sent from an ancient kingdom on the moon. Naruto’s fantastical mind wove stories faster than he could process, but in each one Sasuke seemed untouchable.</p><p>Forbidden.</p><p>But there he was, wrapping himself around the blonde like he belonged there. And damn if he didn’t. Colors were bursting forth in waves in his vision, he felt drunk and giddy and elated. The kiss brought him out of some waking slumber and into life.</p><p>Of course, when it was interrupted by Sasuke’s friend, he couldn’t completely fight his friendly nature. But then Sasuke would look at him with <em>those eyes</em> and then he’d forget there was a world around them. </p><p>It was unreal.</p><p>But Sasuke called him his boyfriend. And Naruto’s heart seemed to leap from his chest. The blood pumped in his ears and he was terrified that this was all a dream. He forgot all about the café and the woman in front of them and everything else, his sole focus on the man holding his hand and filling him with some unseen magic. The magic he'd believed in as a child.</p><p>“Though, that doesn’t seem like it’s enough,” Sasuke whispered.</p><p>“It doesn’t, does it?” Naruto answered him with a serious tone. Sasuke looked up at him and met his gaze, and Naruto’s mouth moved of its own usual accord. “I thought it was just me ya’know? That I was like, going crazy or something. But this is more, isn’t it?”</p><p>“Hn.” Sasuke’s smile was soft in inviting, and Naruto knew he wasn’t alone in this color bursting revelation. </p><p>This was real. What he felt was real. And Sasuke felt it too.</p><p>They leaned into one another at the same time, their lips meeting in a slow embrace that swelled with unspoken promises and emotions. It was a kiss that revealed their souls to one another and merged them. And from this moment on, Naruto knew that that was all he needed.</p><p> </p><p>Uzumaki Naruto was today-years-old when he found his Happily Ever After.</p>
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